Have you seen professional athletes decked out in colored strips of tape around injured joints? They were wearing Kinesio Tape, a treatment technique developed by a chiropractor in Japan in 1973. It has become more visible in the last ten years as sports teams and athletic trainers have seen what it can do to help athletes heal faster and get back to sport more quickly. Dr French has been a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner (CKTP) since 2003, and has used it on his patients with great results.
How is it used?
Kinesio Tape itself is just a stretchy tape with an adhesive that will stick well to skin. It is the way it is applied that allows us to reduce pain and inflammation.
Muscles and Tendons
It can be used to assist an injured or weakened muscle to perform its job. The theory behind this action is that the tape uses the connection between skin and muscle to affect the way and the strength with which the muscle can contract. This application can be used all over the body, but works very well in the shoulder, arms, and around the knees.
Inflammation
The tape can be applied in such a way that it wrinkles the skin. This allows the inflammation that can tend to pool around an injury to be taken away. When the swelling is reduced, the injured area can heal faster.
Ligaments
Ligaments are the connectors between bones. An injured ligament is called sprain, and the common symptoms are pain and a reduction in stability in the joint. One of the treatments for a sprain is to brace the area, like an ankle brace for a sprained ankle. Some joints, however, are hard to brace because they are so mobile, like the shoulder, or too big to effectively brace, like the hip. Kinesio tape is great for these instances, and we can use it like a brace for joints that usually cannot be supported.
Example of Taping Application
Watch Dr French use a very simple Kinesio tape application for knee pain and chondromalacia patella.
Make an Appointment
The tape can be applied by yourself, but the application technique is where the effectiveness comes from. For that reason, it is important to have an experienced practitioner figure out the right technique for your injury, and the right way to tape your body. Dr Thomas French, in our Norwalk chiropractic office is a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner and has years of experience in its correct use. If you would like to see if Kinesio Tape can help you, click below for an appointment, or contact us with any questions you have before coming in.
